BATON ROUGE, La. – Illinois softball dropped a close battle with #4 LSU, 3-2, at Tiger Park on Friday afternoon as a part of the Purple and Gold Challenge.
Illinois moved to 4-7 on the year with the loss. The ranked Tigers improved to 14-0 overall.
Tori McQueen got the start in the circle as the senior went the distance, allowing three runs on five hits while fanning five batters.
Offensively, the Fighting Illini were led by Adisyn Caryl, who went 1-for-2 on the day with a double and an RBI. Megan Ward put together a standout performance at the dish as well, going 1-for-3 with an RBI.
How it happened
After a pair of scoreless frames for both teams, LSU got on the board first, scoring a run in the bottom of the third.
In the top of the fourth, Stevie Meade got the Illini offense going with a leadoff single. A double off the wall from Caryl brought the runner home and Ward added the frenzy with an RBI single of her own.
With the Orange and Blue holding onto the 2-1 advantage, McQueen continued to deal in the circle, tossing a scoreless fourth and fifth frame. However, the Tigers added a pair of runs in the sixth, sending the game to the seventh with Illinois trailing, 3-2.
Down to their final three outs, the Fighting Illini were retired in order, closing out the loss to the ranked Tigers.
Up Next
Illinois readies for a rematch with Louisiana Tech on Saturday. First pitch from Tiger Park is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. CT.
Notes
» Illinois wore orange jerseys, moving to 1-2 while donning those.
» The Illini moved to 3-5 all-time against LSU.
» The Fighting Illini out-hit the Tigers at a 6-5 clip.
» McQueen faced 26 LSU hitters in the game, allowing four ground balls and eight fly balls while striking out five.
